The global urgent care apps market size was valued at USD 588.9 million in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.4% from 2020 to 2027. Benefits offered by urgent care apps such as chronic pain guidance, pain management function for panic situations, reduced hospital readmissions, immediate appointment booking, and a growing preference among healthcare facilities to deliver patient-centric care are the key factors driving the market. Increasing consumer switch from the traditional communication channels that are highly prone to interruptions and bottlenecks, to a real-time setup offering various benefits and addressing numerous significant problems that are affecting the healthcare sector is increasing the demand for urgent care apps for various health concerns.

Increasing prevalence of various conditions that include trauma, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson's disease, and others along with the growing adoption of urgent care apps for consultation and treatment at affordable rates is further driving the market. According to WHO, around 17.9 million deaths were recorded due to CVDs in 2016, out of which 85% deaths were registered sue to stroke and heart attack.

Developed countries, such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K., spend a huge proportion of their GDP on healthcare, which is another factor attributing to the market growth. Moreover, increasing demand for urgent and convenient access to care with regular follow-ups is driving the demand for urgent care apps. The launch of urgent care apps is anticipated to deliver robust growth in clinical care by scaling up healthcare services globally, resulting in enhanced patient safety, improved patient engagement, care quality, and treatment outcomes.

Moreover, surge in the number of mobile subscribers, increasing internet penetration, increasing smartphones usage, rise in 3G and 4G technologies, increasing investments by various organizations in order to improve healthcare and network infrastructure, and escalating demand for cost-effective and user-friendly technology is driving the adoption of various urgent care apps market. Increasing penetration and adoption of mobile apps coupled with presence of large number of app developers is boosting the industry growth. As per a data published by NCBI in August 2018, in U.S., 95.0% of adult population owns a mobile phone, out of which, 64.0% owns smartphones.

Furthermore, rising investments, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and government initiatives to support the adoption and implementation of urgent care apps is propelling market growth. For instance, in March 2020, Epic announced the launch of its new mobile app in collaboration with OCHIN. The app supports in delivering urgent care for consumers that are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and do not have any immediate access to EHR.

Post-hospital urgent care apps accounted for the largest revenue share of 43.3% in 2019. Increasing awareness regarding benefits offered by these apps in managing routine check-ups and medicinal dosage is attributing towards the substantial growth of the segment. Moreover, rising prevalence of strokes, trauma, and cardiac conditions is resulting in increasing demand for medication management, rehabilitation, and communication and collaboration apps. It further offers rehabilitation support to the patients, which is further escalating the growth of the market for urgent care apps. Increasing adoption of post hospital apps owing to its benefits such as decreased costs, error reduction, improved treatment outcomes, enhanced patient experience, ensured proactive care, and better drug management is further propelling market growth.

However, pre-hospital emergency care and triaging apps segment is expected to witness significant growth rate over the forecast period, owing to the rising number of emergency cases requiring urgent care that include injuries, chest pain, and fever in children. Moreover, other factors contributing to the high injury rates in developing countries include poorly designed roads, hazardous environments and workplaces, poorly maintained motor vehicles, overburdened health-care infrastructures income and gender inequalities, alcohol abuse, inadequate enforcement of traffic regulations, and inefficient emergency medical response systems. Increasing demand for urgent care at affordable rates is driving the adoption of urgent care apps, which in turn, is positively contributing to market growth.

By clinical area type, the trauma segment dominated the market for urgent care apps and accounted for a revenue share of 34.1% in 2019. Increase in the number of road accidents significantly in developing countries and rising demand for post- hospital care is contributing to industry growth. As per the report published by World Health Organization in 2019, traumatic car crash injuries/ road traffic crashes accounted for approximately 1.3 million deaths per year. It further reported that 93.0% global road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries that accounted for 60.0% of world's vehicles.

However, the stroke segment is expected to emerge at a significant growth rate over the forecast period. Risk factors associated with increasing burden of stroke include metabolic risks, high systolic blood pressure, behavioral factors such as poor diet, smoke, and low physical activity, and environmental factors such as air pollution and lead exposure. According to World Stroke Organization, in 2016, behavioral factors accounted for 66.3%, and environmental factors accounted for 28.1% of global stroke burden. In addition, increasing consumer awareness regarding benefits offered by urgent care apps such as convenient accessibility, quality care, and reduced waiting times, is anticipated to boost market growth in the future.

In 2019, North America accounted for the highest revenue share of 39.2% in the market for urgent care apps. Growing adoption of digital solutions in healthcare, presence of well-established healthcare infrastructure, and high smartphone penetration are some of the key factors contributing to market growth in the region. According to a research published in NCBI in August 2018, around 95.0% of adult population in the U.S. possesses a mobile phone, with 64.0% of them owning smartphones. Moreover, increasing development and deployment of innovative and advanced digital solutions, presence of a large number of players operating across segments such as mobile and network operations, and high costs associated with in-patient care in the region is further contributing to market growth.

However, in Asia Pacific, the market for urgent care apps is anticipated to witness a significant growth rate during forecast period. Rising number of government initiatives, increasing investments by nonprofit organizations and private companies to support the adoption of urgent care apps for better information exchange, improved patient engagement, improved treatment outcomes, cost reductions, and convenient care are some of the major factors expected to drive the market in the country. For instance, in July 2017, India Virtual Hospital launched Patient Care App to support doctors in identifying and tracking the treatment journey as well as recovery process of their referral patients. It further aimed at to strengthening and streamlining treatment journey of patients from primary and secondary care to tertiary care.

Growing strategic alliances such as collaborations and licensing partnerships among key industry players, and various healthcare facilities such as hospitals and trauma centers are the key strategies aiding market growth. For instance, in October 2018, Pulsara upgraded its existing Pulsara mobile communication app to PULSARA 10.0 version by adding significant features pertaining to cardiac arrest, trauma care, and sepsis. This technological update aided to cater large patient base suffering from cardiac arrest. Some of the prominent players in the urgent care apps market include: Allm Inc.; Hospify; Johnson & Johnson Health & Wellness Solutions, Inc.; PatientSafe Solutions; Alayacare; Twiage LLC; TigerConnect; Siilo B.V.; Imprivata, Inc.; MEDISAFE.

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